Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Dexter, Missouri - The Lady Cats, along with two school buses loaded with Bearcat students, traveled to Park Hills, Missouri on Wednesday evening to tackle the North County Lady Raiders.
There was a sea of red and black when they arrived at the Mineral Area College as the Sikeston Bulldogs Boys Basketball team was on the court playing their sectional game against the Park Hills Central Rebels. The Sikeston Bulldogs made it look easy and beat the Rebels. They will play at Farmington on Saturday.
It was unfortunate that the Cats were without their junior starter, Alison Jarrell, who is out with a knee injury. Jarrell is the team’s leading 3-point shooter and just recently tied the school record for 3-pointers in a season. We wish her the best of luck in her recovery and hope to see her next year as a senior Bearcat.
"We have had our share of injuries late in the season," commented six year veteran of the Dexter program, Head Coach Chad Allen. "But the other girls have stepped up and we are for the most part back to 100%."
North County earned their District 2 championship last week beating #1 seed Farmington. Before last night’s game they had a record of 21-6.
"We couldn't get a flow defensively during the first quarter," stated head coach Chad Allen. "However we played one of the best quarters we played all year," speaking of the 30 plus point run in the third period.
Not sure what prompted the Lady Bearcats in the locker room, but they owned the third quarter. The Lady Cats completely dominated the Lady Raiders as they erupted for 22 consecutive points in a five minutes stretch immediately following half-time. The crowd of Bearcats fans went wild during a decisive 31-2 outburst as the Lady Cats forced ten 3rd quarter turnovers.
Brittany Harris, #24 compiled 16 points in the third quarter, and was a perfect 13 for 13 from the field and 5 for 5 for free throws. Most of the points were attributed to accurate entry passes from fellow teammates. What a team effort by these girls!
When asked of Brittany's perfect game, Coach Allen said, "Brittany is shooting a high percentage from the field for us this year. It was nice to have a break-out game like that and go perfect from the field. She works hard, runs the floor well and I am proud that she was able to accomplish this feat."
Erika Cobb, #14 netted 10 points and fellow Cat, Hannah Noe, #10 tallied nine points. Way to go girls!!!
The Lady Cats continued their strength at the line, with a nearly perfect 11 of 12 overall. Perhaps the Lady Raiders were intimidated by the overwhelming cheering of the Bearcat student section, as they were 9 – 18 from the line.
North County could not overcome an initial 15-4 Bearcat run in the first quarter and with the Cats dominating in the 3rd, it was game over for the Raiders.
Final score Dexter Bearcats 71, North County Raiders 33.
Way to go Lady Cats! The Dexter community is extremely proud of your accomplishments. Behind every Lady Bearcat is a little girl who picked up a ball, fell in love with the game and never looked back. Hours of practice, dedication, and leadership; that’s what makes champions. We wish you luck and pray for your win on Saturday night.
One ball, one basket, shoot, score, win! One Team One Dream! Go Lady Cats!
The girls will be back in action on Saturday, March 9th at Farmington. They will play Rosati-Kain, a private school, from St. Louis, Missouri. They are the Lady Kougers, yes with a K and not a C. According to MaxPreps, they are 10-18 and 3-5 in their district. They have won their last four games to get here and are currently ranked 195 in the state.
Coach Allen said of Rosati-Kain, "We have some game films of them and we always try to prepare for our opponents early. If we play our game like we did in our second half against North County we will have a win. I definitely like our chances Saturday night."
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
Directions
You have a few options for travel, just depends on your preference. You can take Highway 25 north to Jackson and go west to Hwy 67N or go to Poplar Bluff and take 67N or go up 55N to exit 150 for MO-32. Pretty close to the same time of about 2 hours give or take 15 minutes, but the miles are a bit different ranging from 137 miles to 96 miles depending on Google’s estimates.
From Highway 67 N take the exit toward Flat River Road There is a Huddle House to your left when you exit. Go Right!
Drive down to the Highway Patrol Station and you will see the sign for Mineral Area College, make a left turn, (Dixie Kohn Drive), go past the student dorms and you will see the Field House. There should be plenty of parking, but there is a game prior to the girls' game!
T-Shirts and Rally Towels
STUDENTS!
The Dexter Senior High School is providing a bus for students to ride to the game. The bus ride is free; however YOU must have $6.00 to get on the bus to pay to get into the game. YOU need to bring exactly $6, no change will be available. The students need to be ready and on the bus by 4:35 p.m. You may bring extra spending money for concessions, but bring exact change to get into the game!!!
These young ladies have worked very hard to get here and the Dexter community is so very proud of them. They have put in a lot of hours, a lot of late nights in the gym, a lot of time away from their friends, but look where they are now, look at what they have accomplished!
What these girls probably do not realize is what they have done for their school and for their community. Never before have so many students, friends, family members, community in general come together in support of their dream to win a State Basketball Championship. The Lady Cats have made us proud!
They are making history one game at a time! One Team One Dream! Go Lady Bearcats!!
Submitted by
Jessica Snider, SMT Writer
Jonesboro, Ark.- The rugby program at Arkansas State would like to share its success and knowledge of the sport with everyone. The program will get the oppurtunity to do just that when the team holds a Rugby 101 informational night Thursday, March 7th.
The event will get underway at 6:30 P.M. in the Spring River Room in the Carl R. Reng Student Union, 101 North Caraway.
The occasion is open to everyone and members of the team will be there to hand out free t-shirts. Several All-American players will be in attendance to provide instruction about rugby. Some of those players include: Shaun Potgieter, Pat Sullivan, Zac Mizell, and Harry Higgins.
"We want everyone to join us and to learn about the rules of rugby and about ASU's national championship winning program," said first-year head coach Alex Houser. "Our program is ranked second in the nation and we host Life University, the number one team,March 9th. We need our fans to come out and support us. This informational night will help teach fans about the sport."
"When we played Life in the championship, it was the first time we had ever beaten them in 7s. And, Life is the only other team to beat ASU in 7s. So, I'm sure they will be motivated, but so are our players. It should be a great match," stated Houser.
ASU's rugby squad won the national championship in men's college 7s in December and carried a 2012 7s record of 21-1 and had five players named to the all-tournament team. For their efforts, the community recently recognized the players when Jonesbro Mayor, Harold Perrin, signed a proclamation honoring the team and its accomplishments. The proclamation was presented and read by Mayor Perrin at a City Council meeting.
Capping off a 6-0 run over the course of two days, ASU defeated Life University 21-7 in the championship of the Men's Cup to capture the title. It marked only the second time in Arkansas State history to win a national challenge in sports.
ASU's informational night would be a great oppurtunity for many people throughout the area to become better educated about rugby. As many locals know, 2012 Dexter High School graduate Theo Gaul is a member of the ASU rugby team and will be in attendance at the informtional night. Gaul is enjoying his time on the rugby team and is also doing quite well!
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
The Notre Dame Lady Bulldogs traveled down to Dexter to even the score against the Lady Cats Thursday evening in the District Championship game. The Cats had earlier in the season demolished the Bulldogs, beating them by 32 points.
The Lady Bulldogs got on the board first with a 2-pointer in just under two minutes of the first period. Dexter returned the favor, but with a 3-pointer just 20 second later.
The first period ended with a score of Bearcats 11, Bulldogs 8. It took over four minutes before the Lady Bulldogs were able to score two more baskets. The Lady Cats fought back, scoring two points of their own.
With only three minutes left in the half, it was Dexter leading by one point. When the buzzer sounded for half-time, the Lady Bulldogs had pulled ahead and were now leading by two. Half-time score, Lady Cats 17, Lady Bulldogs 19.
The Dexter Lady Bearcats came out of the locker room and were determined not to let this championship slip by. They shot a 3-pointer in the first thirty seconds of the 3rd period and the crowd went wild!
By the end of the 3rd quarter the Lady Cats had surged to 35 points, with the Bulldogs trailing by 8. Notre Dame began to come back in the first few minutes of the fourth period, scoring 11 points in under four minutes and holding the Lady Cats to only two baskets.
Hannah Noe, #10 a 5'8" junior scored 15 points for the Lady Cats and was crucial in key spots on the court. “I thought they came out really strong in the beginning,” Noe said about Notre Dame. “They were fighting for every loose ball, doing everything they could to fight. They played a really, really good game.
Brittany Harris, #24 one of two seniors for the Lady Bearcats also finished with 15 points. Mollie Whitehead, #3 a 5'7" junior who was injured in the fourth period by what looked like an elbow to the mouth hit five for the Lady Cats before leaving the game bleeding from her injury.With just two minutes remaining in the game, it was tied, 41 - 41. Fans were on their feet, cheering as loud as they could to inspire the girls to win! The Dexter girls sank one basket and two from the line and with only 36 seconds on the clock, it was 45 to 44 Bearcats in the lead.
Fans were unaware of a last second decision by Coach Chad Allen. He told Hanna Noe to miss her second free throw. “I knew we were up two and they could go ahead with a three. But with two seconds left, I just thought hit the rim, miss it and just let them throw a three-quarter shot up. It worked out, but I was scared she wasn’t going to hit the rim.”
“I made the first one and coach told me to miss the second one on purpose,” Noe said. “I don’t think I can miss free throws on purpose.” She did and Dexter squeezed out a victory to earn the Class 4, District 1 Championship 1st Place spot. Final score Dexter Bearcats 48 Notre Dame Bulldogs 46.
"We had a chance and threw the ball away at the end," stated Notre Dame Coach Renee Peters. "I am disappointed, obviously, that we lost. It would have been something special for the team to beat Dexter."Coach Chad Allen spoke of his team, "I thought the girls did a great job of keeping their composure and hit their free throws when they mattered the most. With a tougher schedule this year, having tighter ball games, this will all help us down the stretch."
The Lady Cats will be back in action next Wednesday, March 6th. They will play either Farmington or North County at the Mineral Area College in Park Hills at 7:45 p.m. The Lady Cats are ranked #8 in the state of Missouri and ranked #360 in the Nation. Way to go Lady Cats!
The Bearcat Nation is extremely proud of the DHS Girls Basketball Team and wishes them the best of luck next Wednesday evening.
ONE TEAM ONE DREAM!! GO LADY CATS
Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Manager/Writer
From jump shot to lay-ups to free-throws, those boys played their hearts out and the fans cheered with every basket. The Mules had a few wobbles in the beginning of the first period and were a little out of their groove, but they quickly stepped up and ran the court like champions.
"I think we could have played better offensively in the first half and our shooting woes came back to bite us in the second half." this according to Bernie's Head Coach Brad Botsch.
The fans were on the edge of their seats most of the game. The last five seconds were nail-biting! "I thought David Baker was going to will us to the win, but we just couldn't get over the hump and get the lead." stated Botsch.
With just 34 seconds remaining in the game, Bernie's Sam Turner missed a 3-pointer. Winona hit one of two free throws with 27 seconds left on the clock. Another foul and the Wildcats hit two more free throw shots. And with just seconds on the clock, Bernie's David Baker made a last second attempt to tie the game with a 3-pointer, but to no avail.
"It never feels good to lose your last one." Botsch continued, "We got down by 14 points at one point in the second half, and our kids could have given up and quit, but they didn't. We kept fighting and cut it to one there late in the quarter."
Senior, David Baker, #31 lead the team with 32 points. What a night for him! Way to go David!
B.J. Jennings #12 scored the most three 3-pointers in the game for nine points. One each in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters. Troy Kirkpatrick #14 scored two 3-pointers and one field goal giving him 7 points for the Mules. Senior Landon Woods, #10 scored a three pointer in the 1st quarter.
The Mules fought hard, but Winona seemed to be a little more aggressive on the court.
After is was all said and done, the Bernie Mules were unable to outscore the Winona Wildcats. It will be the last time they untie their shoes for this season as they lost by a score of 65 to 62. Just three points away evening the score and perhaps gettinng to the next level.
"I am really proud of our kids for the season they had. We played an extremely tough schedule for a Class 2 school and winning 23 games is a tremendous accomplishment." commented Coach Botsch. "We are really going to miss those three seniors. You will not find better young men than David, Landon, and Sam. I have really gotten close to those guys this year and appreciate the hard work and dedication that they have shown to our program. They are three of the best young men that I have ever coached! They will be hard to replace."
It was heartbreaking to say the least seeing three Seniors walk off the court for the last time of their high school career. Sam Turner #45, Landon Woods #10, and David Baker #31 have played basketball together for years. They are good friends on and off the court and push each other to do their best. With a hug and a pat on the back, Coach Botsch has always supported their efforts, win or lose. "The boys did their best tonight. We had our ups and downs, but Winona prevailed in the end. I am very proud of them and of our entire team."
What's next for the Bernie Basketball team? "We have some ability in the sophomore and junior classes. The task now is to see who develops the most and works the hardest between now and next year." stated Coach. "It is so hard to win a district and advance to the next step. Hopefully, our underclassmen will give us the opportunity to compete in this game again. It will be interesting to see who will improve the most as we have a very balanced group of 10 - 15 kids right now that we could see on the court playing next season."
Bernie ends their season with an impressive record of 23-7. They have won three tournaments and finished third in the 16 team Bloomfield Christmas Tournament and are the District Champions. What an awesome job they have done this year! And for them everyone is glad they are SOULED OUT!
